Devine: Skoda a natural transition from Polo
Brave, risky, or in his own words – a little bit mad. Callum Devine’s last-minute move to a Skoda Fabia Rally2 was the talk of Donegal this time two months ago.
Devine let his Skoda do the talking on the famous north-west of Ireland stages to take his second Donegal International Rally victory. It doubled the reigning Irish Tarmac champion’s winning tally of 2024, one that put him right back into championship contention alongside Keith Cronin and Matt Edwards.
The Claudy-based rally driver spent most of Donegal’s three days in the shadow of Welsh rival Edwards who was hunting for his maiden Donegal win. Devine kept the pressure on the Ford Fiesta Rally2 pilot, eventually capitalising on Edwards’ collision with an Atlantic Drive bank to seize a decisive rally lead.
“It was a bit of a mad decision to try to do Donegal straightaway in the Skoda,” admitted the 30-year-old. “I knew when I got a run in the car before the rally that it was going to be in the ballpark. I just wanted to get through Friday’s stages, get some mileage under our belts, and hoped we wouldn’t be too far away for the rest of the event.
“The rain on Friday didn’t make it any easier. I wouldn’t say we had a bad run but it was obviously difficult to get onto the pace straightaway. We were constantly changing the car’s set-up and I think the last loop on Saturday was the last change we made to it.
“We had a good run on Saturday afternoon which set us up for Sunday. When Matt’s damage put us in the lead on Sunday morning, it turned into a different rally for us and we just had to manage it then.”
For all of its success in the World Rally Championship’s Rally2 tier, Skoda is yet to make a serious impression on the Emerald Isle. Eddie Doherty’s string of podiums earlier this year have been the first since Desi Henry and Meirion Evans’ Skoda scores five years prior.
But Devine was the first to brave Skoda’s latest Rally2 Fabia on Irish soil, a move that has already encouraged 2014 Irish Tarmac champion Declan Boyle to back the Skoda switch.
“I found the Skoda to be an easy transition from the [Volkswagen] Polo,” reflected Devine. “When they developed the car, they took a lot of information from the Polo. That made the decision easier to go with Skoda for Donegal.
“It still needs a bit of work, at the end of the day we have only had one rally in the car. The Ulster will be another new challenge for us and we will just take it from there.
“We didn’t have much time to do anything before Donegal but we thankfully Toksport and Wevers were a great help. They moved the set-up I had for the Polo onto the Skoda. That definitely fast-tracked our progress at the start.
“I know there is more in the car and there is a lot more left to find in my driving. It is similar to the Polo but things like the braking and chassis roll are different. These are all things that we can dial in over a period of time.”
Time is something Devine’s latest Irish Tarmac campaign doesn’t offer, though. The series’ penultimate round features 10 demanding Ulster Rally stages running over a single day.
Devine holds momentum in the championship thanks to his Rally of the Lakes and Donegal victories but is third in the standings, 8.5 points behind Edwards, and 10 points behind leader Keith Cronin.
“I am hoping that we can hit the ground a bit quicker on the Ulster,” said Devine, “but I know Matt and Keith will be going hard. It is going the be flat-out from the word go, a bit like what it was like on the Circuit.
“There will be a bit of work in the Ulster Rally’s stages. The nature of the stages makes it a tough recce compared to other parts of the country. The weather has been changeable recently as well so road conditions could play a part.
“It means there is time to be found in the stages too if you have a good recce and are feeling comfortable.”
The Ulster Rally’s opening stage gets underway just before nine on Saturday morning with Devine and co-driver Noel O’Sullivan opening the road following their runner-up finish behind Adrien Fourmaux 12 months ago.
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Photos by D Harrigan Images
